The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may or may not constitute prior art.
Load bearing shafts are often subjected to unequal and constant loads in bearings and guides which wear the surface of the shafts unevenly. This problem is especially acute with truck, tractor and trailer shafts (axles) that are essentially constantly loaded in one direction due to the weight and load of the truck, tractor or trailer. Other than the wear caused by the essentially vertical vehicle load which wears the bottom surface (at the nominal 6:00 o'clock position) of the shaft or axle, some slight additional wear may be experienced by the surfaces adjacent the bottom surface due to acceleration and braking of the truck, tractor or trailer.
This wear pattern represents a measurement and computational challenge because the shaft or axle may appear to be unworn if measured horizontally with a standard micrometer but highly worn if measured vertically with the same instrument. Determining the actual wear, as well as the location of the wear, of the shaft or axle from these two divergent measurements has proven difficult.
The present invention addresses this measurement problem.